


Hat

by bonespell



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: Fluff, L1 this is also for you, Linked Universe (Legend of Zelda), and shark was like you can’t write angst OR legend & warriors content, but then they handed me this cursed idea so Here We Are, everyone else is background or mentioned or implied, ezlo is Just There, look what you all have done, no i won’t explain myself, okay look this is for the discord prompt week for going out of your comfort zone, regret it, relish in it, sky and twilight bond, so i was like >:(
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-17
Updated: 2020-09-17
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:35:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,249
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26514562
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bonespell/pseuds/bonespell
Summary: “Are you alright?” Sky asks, and Twilight nods. Sky is still clutching Four’s strange hat. Twilight can see a little more of it. Does it have a... ?“Hey!” comes another voice. It’s unfamiliar, and they both startle at it, glancing around. There’s nobody on the red bird but them (this must be the loftwing Sky was talking about, that he couldn’t show them last time because they were too far-) and then the voice comes again.“I’m swallowing feathers! Pick me up!”In a moment of blank confusion, Sky lifts the hat up and nearly shrieks when it moves on its own, getting in his face and shouting. Twilight was right - it has a beak?“What.” Sky deadpans, and Twilight nearly laughs in his own disbelief.
Relationships: Sky & Twilight (Linked Universe)
Comments: 15
Kudos: 205





	Hat

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Endofwave](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Endofwave/gifts).



> when i was dming shark about this fic i called it “the paperjam dipper of my ao3” and i think that’s INCREDIBLY accurate.
> 
> this is for you. you’re welcome. take it. i don’t want it.

“We’re switching!” Wild calls over the noise of camp. The others are instant in their reaction - scrambling to grab their belongings, to leave nothing behind. They’ve lost quite a few things that way, and it’s a disappointment every time.

Twilight’s vision is shaking more than usual, and he knows that means the switch is going to be shaky. He reaches out, grabbing Sky’s hand. Sky nods, reaching for Four, but Four’s shoulder is grabbed by Warriors.

“Wait, Four! You dropped something!” Sky exclaims, and Twilight’s head snaps over to look. There’s a strange green hat laying in the grass, and Four’s face pales. He reaches out for it, but can’t seem to reach.

“That’s-” He starts as Sky grabs the hat, but then everything blurs, and suddenly Sky and Twilight are falling through the sky.

Twilight desperately clings to Sky, looking for anything to hook his clawshots onto. After everything, is this truly how he dies? The ground is fast-approaching, and then Sky whistles. It’s ear piercing, but in the distance is a flash of red and then-

Sky positions himself to take the brunt of the fall as they land on a red, feathery back. Twilight’s fingers scrabble at the feathers and Sky both, and Sky’s hand locks around his wrist. They’re stable suddenly, and they sit in silence for a moment, breathing heavily.

“Are you alright?” Sky asks, and Twilight nods. Sky is still clutching Four’s strange hat. Twilight can see a little more of it. Does it have a... ?

“Hey!” comes another voice. It’s unfamiliar, and they both startle at it, glancing around. There’s nobody on the red bird but them (this must be the loftwing Sky was talking about, that he couldn’t show them last time because they were too far-) and then the voice comes again.

“I’m swallowing feathers! Pick me up!”

In a moment of blank confusion, Sky lifts the hat up and nearly shrieks when it _moves on its own_ , getting in his face and shouting. Twilight was right - it has a beak?

“What.” Sky deadpans, and Twilight nearly laughs in his own disbelief.

“Shit,” The hat says. “It seems I’m a hat once again.”

“You _weren’t before_ ?” Twilight questions, shoving his hands back against his forehead in his frustration and confusion. Why does Four have a _talking bird hat_?

“No,” It spits. “For your information, I was _not_ a hat before. I am an upstanding member of society!”

“What society?” Twilight snickers. “I’ve never met a sentient hat before.”

“I am _not_ a hat!”

“You,” Sky starts, raising a hand like he’s going to make an informative point. “You kinda are.”

“Fine,” The hat says, and he has a glare that _sort_ of resembles Time’s face of disappointment. Not nearly as scary. Maybe that’s because he’s a hat. “Right now, I am. Last time this happened, I was cursed. I’m actually a Minish, thank you very much!”

“A what?”

“A Minish!”

When the hat receives blank stares in return, he gives a frustrated exhale. Not quite a sigh, not quite a huff.

“Well,” Sky says after a while of staring uncomfortably. “I’m Link, but you can call me Sky.”

“I’m also Link,” Twilight nods, “But I go by Twilight.”

“I’m Ezlo.” The hat - Ezlo - says, still glaring. “Wait, you said Link?”

“Yeah?”

“Hmm… would you happen to know another Link? He’s short, young, and greatly resembles the both of you.”

“We know more than one other Link,” Sky chuckles, “But you mean Four. You were with his stuff.”

“Four…” Ezlo mutters, and then nods. “Yes. Him. Where is he?”

Twilight groans at the question, putting his head in his hands. In all the confusion, they’d forgotten how badly they’d been separated. Even as the loftwing flew, there were no others in sight across the wide expanse of land below them.

“We, um.” Sky responds, staring ahead pointedly. “We haven’t a clue.”

“How do you not have a clue?” Ezlo snarls. “Are you not watching your companions?”

“Look, hat,” Twilight says without moving his hands, ignoring the squawk of protest from Ezlo. “Magic is incredibly fickle. We don’t know a damn thing about how switching worlds works, even after months of adventure. We do the best we can, hear?”

Ezlo makes a strange angry sound, but doesn’t press the issue. Twilight scoots up to sit next to Sky at the front of the bird. There’s not a ton of room, but they fit.

“Mighty glad you have this bird,” Twilight tells him. “Without it, we woulda been splat on the ground. The others would probably never know what happened.”

“This isn’t how I wanted you to meet him,” Sky responds quietly. “I don’t even know where the others are.”

“Neither do I. Don’t be upset with yourself. This is weird, even for us.”

Sky nods, but doesn’t say anything else.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Twilight runs a hand over his eyes. He’s exhausted, but while Sky flies, it’s his job to make sure none of their belongings fall. There’s no saddle on the loftwing, just a strap that Sky holds onto, and Twilight’s been holding onto him.

“So,” Ezlo says. “I take it you’re both heroes? The way you’ve been speaking about this journey makes me come to that conclusion.”

“Yeah,” Twilight nods, half-asleep. He feels terrible being as tired as he is, but he can’t go to _sleep_. He’ll fall off.

“Hmm,” Ezlo responds. All Twilight’s learned about Ezlo so far is that he’s not usually a hat, and he’s very rude. He wonders how Four puts up with it.

“We should reach Skyloft by morning,” Sky says. His voice is always soothing, but the quiet tone he’s using makes Twilight even more tired. He pinches himself.

“Gotcha,” He responds groggily.

“Twi,” Sky says, “Why don’t you hand our belongings here?”

Twilight complies mindlessly. Sky then rummages through his bag, and clips them to the harness on the loftwing. “And hold onto me, will you? Like you would while holding onto someone on a horse?”

Twilight nods, wrapping his arms around Sky’s chest. Ezlo is put in a bag, much to his disdain.

“Get some rest,” Sky says finally, quietly, soothingly. “We’ll fly steadily for you.”

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Twilight wakes up _wet_.

He clings tighter to Sky, shocked that he wasn't dislodged during the night. There are dark circles forming under Sky’s eyes, and he feels bad. He makes a silent promise that if they have to do anything when they get back, he’ll carry Sky around if he has to. He just hopes Sky can make it until they do get back. If they do.

Rain is pounding down on them, and Sky smiles. “Good morning. Sorry about all the rain. We’ll push above cloud level in a clearer spot, otherwise we’ll get so wet we’ll be weighed down.”

Twilight nods, pressing his nose into the sailcloth. His pelts are wet, and he sort of hates the feeling. His hair is plastered to his face. Rain is miserable usually, but it’s even more miserable this close to the clouds.

“Stop whining,” Ezlo snaps, as if he can hear Twilight’s thoughts. Twilight shuts his eyes. He feels horrible in the rain, with his stomach an empty, hungry pit. He doesn’t give a damn what a talking hat has to say to him.

Vaguely, he can hear Sky scolding Ezlo. He wonders offhandedly why they don’t carry food like Wild or Legend do. Maybe they should start.

“Shut up,” Twilight mumbles. He’s still tired. “You’re not even the worst bird I’ve met.”

A few things happen at once. He feels Sky still under his grip, and Ezlo stops griping for a moment to sit in stunned silence.

“I’m sorry,” Sky says slowly.

“I’m not a bird!” Ezlo snaps.

“Repeat that for me?” Sky continues, talking over Ezlo.

“I said,” Twilight responds, slower and clearer. “That he’s not the worst bird I’ve met.”

Sky lets out a startled chuckle. “Who _is_?”

“Met a bird called Ooccoo,” He says simply. “She had a son. They were terrifying. Ezlo is not. Ezlo, if you hadn’t noticed, is a hat.”

“What does it look like?” Sky asks conversationally. 

Twilight levels a stare at the back of Sky’s head. “She’s sort of shaped like a turkey. She has tiny wings and yellow feathers on her lower body. Then you look up, and she’s bald. Completely bald. She has a really long head, and a human face. I’ll… I’ll show you someday. She… on second thought, I’m not entirely sure she _is_ a bird.”

“So like Ezlo?” Sky suggests, mirth dancing in his tone.

Ezlo grumbles something, but they ignore him. Sky laughs. It’s a full-bellied laugh, and it lifts Twilight’s spirits a little. He snorts. Even Ezlo looks a little less angry. Maybe the rest of this journey will be bearable.

  
  


“Hold on tight,” Sky warns a while after he stops laughing. “We’re going up.”

Twilight locks his arms around Sky’s chest tighter than he has yet, and Sky reaches forward to make sure their bags are strapped closed, and then he says something to the loftwing, and suddenly they’re _vertical_.

Sky looks comfortable. His grip on the loftwing is tight and he’s hunched forwards. Twilight is holding on for dear life. This is a _little_ bit different than shooting himself out of cannons. Just a little.

Out of the corner of his eye, He sees a flash of green. Twilight’s hand shoots out to grab Ezlo as he flaps away in the wind. It’s kind of hilarious, or maybe that’s the critical hunger talking. 

They hurtle towards the clouds, Ezlo squished in between Twilight’s arms and Sky’s chest. Twilight squeezes his eyes shut, preparing for some kind of impact. It’s cold and wet and-

He can feel the heat on his back. Below him is a layer of gray clouds, and the sun shines bright above him. Twilight gapes at the sight. It’s gorgeous.

“Pretty, isn’t it?” Sky says in that tone he gets when he talks about home. It’s wistful and whimsical all at once.

“Beautiful,” Twilight says. “You get to look at this every day?”

“...Yeah,” Sky says after a moment. “I did.”

“Did?”

“Surface colony, remember?”

It sounds like more than that to Twilight, but he lets it slide. He’s too happy to be out of the rain, and Ezlo looks like he’s gearing up to shout again.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


“Cheer up, companions!” Sky grins, with more cheer than _anyone_ has the right to in his situation. “Dead ahead!”

“You’re not a sailor,” Twilight grumbles, lifting his head up. He’d finished bickering with Ezlo again. Ezlo was yelling about how he was wet, how he’d wanted to be dry, how Sky could most definitely have done better with the going above the clouds.

Twilight had stared at him, hair dripping water into his face, and told him to shut up. 

It had started a whole bicker.

They were all much drier now, in the direct heat of the sun. For that, Twilight was grateful.

“What would the terminology be for someone who rides giant birds?” Sky teases. “Does it matter? Look! It’s Skyloft!”

There’s a floating city in the sky. Twilight stares at it, at the people and the loftwings on and circling it. The waterfalls that disappear into the clouds. It’s gorgeous.

Sky pats his loftwing’s shoulder as it circles down towards the city, and lands down on the docks. It kneels down, allowing Sky to slide off and offer Twilight a hand in getting down. 

Twilight’s legs are like jelly after riding a bird for so long. It works differently than a horse. Sky steadies him when he stumbles, and then unclips their belongings. He hands Ezlo to Twilight, and Twilight hears a shout.

He’s knocked right off his feet as Wild slams into him, arms wrapped around his waist. After a moment, Twilight hugs him back.

“Are you safe? Are you okay? What happened?” Wild peppers him with questions, and Twilight takes a deep breath, putting a hand on his head in a silent ask for him to slow down. He’s fine.

“Fancy seeing you here,” Legend comments, offering to take their bags off their hands. “It’s been a while.” 

“It’s great to be back,” Sky yawns. His exhaustion seems to be catching up to him, and he sits down on the ground beside Twilight.

“Did you get him?” Four shoves his way to the front. “Did we leave him behind?”

Twilight, much to Ezlo’s disdain, tosses him to Four. “Why does your hat talk?”

“He’s not meant to be a hat,” Four replies, and Ezlo lets out a _ha!_ when he says it. “I’m not sure why he is, to be honest. I have to run an errand next time we get to my world.”

“I think I hate him,” Twilight informs Four, and Four snorts.

“Cannot deny I feel the same way,” Ezlo snaps. Twilight pointedly pretends not to hear him.

Wild sits up, offering Twilight an apple. He takes it gratefully, eating it quickly. His stomach growls for more, and Wild laughs.

Sky becomes a dead weight against his shoulder. Twilight shoos Wild away gently before positioning Sky on his back comfortably and standing up. He’s not so heavy, and Warriors moves behind Twilight like he’s going to spot him.

“There are three things I want, in no specific order. A meal, a hot bath, and a twelve hour nap.”

“Doable,” Time smiles, amused. “Glad to have you two - three, I suppose - back with us.”

**Author's Note:**

> NTHE hours


End file.
